Strip packaging sampler booklet



July 17, 1962 J. H. sTRooP 3,044,229

STRIP PACKAGING SAMPLER BOOKLET Filed Feb. 26, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 1 q i .E r -l a 10 A i X IN V EN TOR. Joy/v fi. Smoo BY Mud/V A TTO/QA/B July 17, 1962 J. H. STROOP 3,044,229

STRIP PACKAGING SAMPLER BOOKLET Filed Feb. 26, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JQ SmooP BY mum ATTORNEY u y 17, 19 J. H. STROOP 3,044,229

STRIP PACKAGING SAMPLER BOOKLET Filed Feb. 26, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

JoH/v Sr/eooP BY ATTORNEY nite States tet SIRE PACKAGING SAMPLER BOOKLET John H. Stroop, New York, N.Y., assignor to Vol-Pak, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 795,697 Claims. (CI. 5328) This invention relates to strip package samples such as are used extensively for distributing medicinal tablets or the like among practicing physicians.

By employing this invention a specially attractive and unique sample booklet is produced by a continuous strip package procedure peculiarly adapted for this purpose.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a sample booklet embodying the invention and produced in accordance therewith.

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the sample booklet of FIG. 1 with the pages of the booklet partially open and the protective flaps shown as produced and also shown in dotted lines folded back in position for shipping.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial views corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing an alternative means of protecting the package for shipment by providing punched out projections extending from both sides.

FIG. 5 is -a diagrammatic view of the mechanism for carrying out the procedure of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the same mechanism at 90 from FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing an alternative mechanism for carrying out the invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 correspond to FIGS. 3 and 4 and show punched out projections on only one side.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sample booklet here shown has two covers 10 and 11, which may be made of thin, flexible cardboard or heavy paper, and near one end, which is herein referred to as the binding end, has a plurality of circular holes or windows 12 cut therein. At the binding end of the booklet the covers 10 and 11 eX- tend sufficiently beyond the holes so that they made be spread apart or folded back for protection as hereinafter explained and as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2.

The booklet has a binding 13 near the binding end which is heat sealed by an outer seal 13a and an inner seal 13b and is composed of a pair of transparent packaging strips, preferably of thin plastic material. Medicinal tablets 14 are centered in the holes 12 between the plastic strips and between the outer seal 13a and the inner seal 13b the arrangement such that the plastic strips hold the medicinal tablets in place where they can be readily seen through the holes 12 since the plastic strips are transparent. The plastic strips are preferably of equal width to that of the binding 13 of the booklet, and the covers of the booklet and the plastic strips are heat sealed together at the outer seal 13a and at the inner seal 13b.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the binding may have cutouts 16 of triangular shape formed in the binding or sealed areas between the holes 12, and for shipping, these cut-outs, which are partially severed in the respective back and front cover sheets, may be bent outwardly as shown in FIG. 4 and thus constitute a protection when the booklets are shipped. At present I consider the protective folds shown in FIG. 2 to be preferable.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the machine elements or mechanism for producing the booklet samples are here shown. The cover web is of double width on the Web roll 20 and is cut into two independent webs 22 and 23 by knife 21. The two webs 22 and 23 thus formed continue upwardly as shown by arrows in FIG. 6 through pairs of corresponding cutting dies 24 and 25. These dies form the holes in the cover which are designated 12 in FIG. 1.

ice

30 and 31 and are drawn through the die rolls 26 and 27 between the two cover webs 22 and 23.

The arrangement is such that each of the double webs thus formed acts as a single web and continues between the die rolls to which heat is applied in the usual manner. The die-rolls have pockets 32 circumferentially spaced and the spacing corresponds to that of the holes 12 formed in the cover webs 22 and 23. As the webs pass through the dies 26 and 27, tablets from a vertical column 33 are dropped one by one by a perforated gate 34 which is operated in synchronism and drops one tablet into each successive pocket of the strip between the outer seal 13a and the inner seal 13b, as shown in FIG. 6. The sample they leave dies 26 and 27, and they are severed into individual booklets by knife 35 which is operated in the usual manner.

Referring to FIG. 7, in some cases it may be desirable to utilize a printed cover material in two separate webs 40 and 41 in which holes 12 for the booklet are already precut and spaced as desired for the finished product. In such case the webs are fed from the web rolls 42 and 43 over sprocket wheels 44 and 45, respectively. These sprocket wheels have knobs or projections 46 which are circu-mferentially spaced on the sprocket wheels to correspond to the spacing of the holes 12 in the webs. The knobs enter the holes and the sprocket wheels are rotated to correspond to the speed of the die rolls 26 and 27. The webs leave the wheels and are wrapped around the die rolls 26 and 27 and the transparent packaging material webs 28 and 29 are fed from the web rolls 30 and 31 as in the arrangement of FIG. 6. The tablets or articles to be packaged in the sample booklets are fed, in the arrangement of FIG. 7, the same as illustrated in FIG. 6. As the continuous booklet web comes from the rolls it is cut in individual sample booklets by knife 35.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the booklets may have a plain back cover without holes and the front cover web only provided with holes 12.

In this arrangement the tablets show only when the booklet is observed from the front and the protecting notches 47 and 28 extend outwardly from the front cover only as shown on a larger scale in FIG. 9.

What is claimed is:

l. A continuous process for making and filling a plurality of identical sampler dispenser booklets in a single operation, which comprises feeding relatively wide webs of opaque cover material and narrow transparent webs of scalable material between the cover strips but only near the binding end, through rotary sealing dies, producing spaced window holes in the cover strip and feeding articles to be dispensed, between the webs of scalable material in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of the window holes as the cover webs and the transparent webs enter the rotary sealing dies, and heat sealing both the inner webs and the cover webs of the booklets, but only near the binding end.

2. A continuous process for making and filling a plurality of identical sample dispenser booklets in a single operation, which comprises feeding relatively wide webs of opaque cover material and narrow transparent webs of sealable material between the cover strips but only near the binding end through rotary sealing dies, producing spaced window holes and protective notches adjacent to said holes in the cover strip and forming pockets in the transparent webs prior to passing them through the rotary dies and feeding articles to be dispensed into the pockets as the cover webs and the transparent webs enter the rotary dies', heat sealing the booklets only near the binding end and spacing the window holes to coincide with the 7 articles in a finished booklet. V

3. The process of claim 2 in which notches providing protective projections are formed in the cover strip near the window holes.- 4. The process of claim 2 in which the inner seal conseal is substantially spaced from the extreme inner ends of the cover webs whereby said inner ends are adapted to be folded back to form a protective cover over the articles for shipment. r r

'stitutes the hinge for the booklet covers and. the outer 7 of scalable material between the cover strips but only near the binding end, through rotary sealing dies, and feeding parent webs enter the rotary sealing dies, and heat sealing the inner webs around the articles to be dispensed and simultaneously heat sealing the cover Webs of the booklets onto the inner webs, but only near the binding end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,816,542 Mellin July 28, 1931 2,472,440 Salfisberg June 7, 1949 2,652,149 OMeara Sept. 15, 1953 2,780,353 volckening Feb. 5, 1957 2,836,291 Stroop May 27, 1958 2,956,677 I Kavadlo et al. Oct. 18, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 306,114 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1930 684.157 France i.,.. June 23, 1930 1,138,689 7 France June 18, 1957 

